"Guh…! I… can't… breathe…!"
Seol Harin squirmed in agony beneath me.
Her once-pale skin was now flushed red.
"Hey!!! I'm not feeling it at all?!! Are you messing around right now!!!!"
"Guh…! Cough…!"
Unable to withstand the 100kg barbell, she collapsed under it.
I lifted the bar with both arms, saving her.
"What the hell's going on?! Your performance is worse than yesterday?!!"
"Tch… I haven't recovered enough, that's why!"
"So why haven't you recovered?! You had plenty of rest time!! Don't tell me you skipped meals?! How many times do I have to say eating is part of training?! Don't half-ass it—eat properly!! And sleep! How many times do I have to tell you not to stay up studying and get at least eight hours of sleep?!!"
"…Fine, I get it."
"Take this!"
I handed Seol Harin a recovery potion.
I'd bought it from the campus pharmacy.
She hesitated, reluctant to accept it.
"What's with that touched look?! I'm giving it to you because it's a hassle if my slave's weak!"
Phew…
Don't fall for me.
If you do, the world will end.
I'm not kidding—it'll literally end.
Thankfully, Seol Harin didn't seem particularly moved.
"…Just to be sure, you didn't mix anything weird into this, right?"
"Hey! I don't do cowardly stuff like that!!"
—Though I've already spiked her protein shake before, that was for mutual benefit, right?
This recovery potion was clean.
Still, Seol Harin sniffed it suspiciously, checking it thoroughly.
"Morning workout's done. See you in class later."
"Tch…"
Seol Harin and I were assigned to the same class.
So were Kang Juhyeok and another heroine classmate.
It wasn't some grand coincidence.
It's just how the game's story is set up.
I returned to my dorm, showered, and headed to the lecture building.
The first class of the semester was "Understanding Dungeon History."
In the game, it's a low-impact class with little significance, taught by a young female instructor.
No major events happen, so I just need to keep up with the material.
Slide…!
I opened the lecture hall door with my bag slung over my shoulder.
The room was packed, but it went silent the moment I appeared.
"…"
"…"
"Huh? What're you staring at?"
The students, who'd been gawking, hurriedly pretended to be busy.
They seemed totally intimidated.
That was my intention.
It's better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
But this is a bit much!
I didn't expect to become the ultimate pariah they can't even make eye contact with!
'…Is it really that surprising?'
I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a mirror.
A nearly 190cm muscle-bound giant.
The only one boldly showing up in a Hawaiian shirt.
Turned the top female student into a slave.
And my dad's the most infamous gangster in Korea.
'Even I'd avoid me…!'
Anyone would see I'm bad news to get involved with.
Step—
After scanning the room, I walked in.
The back seats were mostly taken, but the front was empty.
Even at Ark, the front row's unpopular.
Then, a male student in the back stood up abruptly.
"T-Taeyang! Sit here!! I, uh, prefer the front!!"
What's this?
Trying to suck up to me?
I appreciate the gesture, but I'll have to decline politely.
"Hey, hey!! What do you take me for?!!! Sitting in the back means I can't focus on the lecture properly?!!!!"
"Uh… huh? You're… trying to focus on the lecture?"
"Huh?! Obviously!! If a student doesn't pay attention in class, they're totally screwed as a student?!!!"
I'm a model student.
Looks aren't everything, you punks.
"Right, right! Sorry! I wasn't thinking…!!"
"Interrupt my studies again, and I'll beat you to death!!!!"
"Eek…?!!"
That was polite enough.
At least I didn't curse.
Thud!
I tossed my bag down and sat in the very front row.
The prime seat right in front of the podium.
There are two reasons I'm serious about attending class.
First, even as a veteran player, I don't know everything about this world.
My knowledge is limited to what's in the game.
So, I need to pay attention in class to dig deeper into this world's lore.
Second, to find a way to overcome Kim Taeyang's traits.
He has a trait that says he "dislikes serious things and loves debauchery."
Because of it, my body's drawn to indulgence, but as you know, if I go wild, the future of this world is doomed.
It won't be easy, though.
Slide—
Finally, the door opened, and the professor walked in.
She was a beautiful woman who looked to be in her mid-to-late 20s.
"Uh, hello…? I'm Song Gayoung, and I'll be teaching 'Understanding Dungeon History'…"
Her voice was so soft.
Even from the front row, I had to strain to hear her.
'Good thing I picked a prime seat, huh?'
I couldn't help but smirk at my own foresight.
"Heh heh heh—"
"…"
Oops. My laugh was too loud.
Anyway.
A delinquent in a Hawaiian shirt, studying in the front row.
That's Kim Taeyang…!
***
Song Gayoung wasn't a full professor but a guest lecturer.
She was contracted for just this semester, but even that was a huge deal for her.
'Me, a professor at Ark!'
Even if it was temporary, teaching at a world-class academy was no small feat.
Great honor!
High salary!
Top-tier students!
Lecturing at Ark was every instructor's dream.
But her excitement didn't last long.
All because of a certain delinquent who appeared at the entrance ceremony.
- "And professors! Don't make classes too tough!!"
- "Let's take it easy, got it?!!!!"
Kim Taeyang, who dared to threaten the professors.
Song Gayoung had whispered to a senior professor beside her during the ceremony.
- That kind of guy will get expelled right away, right? Even if he's second-ranked?
- Well… the dean's pretty whimsical, so who knows.
- W-Wait, does that mean I'll have to teach students like that…? Teacher's rights are already at rock bottom these days. If a student assaults, harasses, or turns a professor into a slave, Ark will take action, right…?
- Haha, don't worry too much. They wouldn't assign a problem child like that to a rookie lecturer, would they?
- Phew, right?
The senior professor's words had reassured Song Gayoung.
…But the world has no loyalty.
On the morning of the first lecture, Song Gayoung woke up in a daze, chewing her thumbnail.
'I'm screwed…!!'
The Ark faculty had no shred of honor.
They'd dumped Kim Taeyang and other delinquents on Song Gayoung, a rookie lecturer.
In short, she'd become the scapegoat.
'What's this about a haven for top heroes, you cowards!!!!'
She could overlook the other delinquents, but Kim Taeyang was a real concern.
Because of the stories surrounding his father, Kim Taegun.
- "Slashed 102 people with a sashimi knife," YouTuber A exposes Kim Taegun's shocking gangster past…!
- "If you don't have money, pay with your body… Wife's worth 30 million won, daughter's worth 50 million." The shocking truth about Solacash CEO Kim Taegun…!
- Solacash CEO Kim Taegun charged with assaulting an elderly man…!! Reason for assault: "The old man was staring at my girl…"
"…"
Kim Taegun was a real thug.
A vicious criminal who'd been in and out of prison multiple times.
'So scary…!!!'
Song Gayoung genuinely felt her life was in danger.
A professor afraid of a student.
How ridiculous is that?
But Song Gayoung had her reasons.
She wasn't an Awakened.
Not a hero, but a scholar.
A regular human who earned her degree studying dungeon history.
Her mind raced with countless articles.
The decline of teacher authority.
Stories of female teachers being assaulted, harassed, and disrespected by students.
'If Kim Taeyang assaults me… will the other students save me…?'
Anyway, whatever.
She couldn't run away just because she was scared of one student.
'Song Gayoung! You're an adult! You can do this!'
She straightened her back, puffed out her chest, and strode confidently into the lecture hall.
But with each step, she shrank a little more.
It was like watching human evolution in reverse.
"…"
By the time she reached the podium,
She was more hunched than an Australopithecus.
"Uh, hello…? I'm Song Gayoung, and I'll be teaching 'Understanding Dungeon History'…"
Her voice was barely audible.
She was already nervous for her first class, and there was Kim Taeyang, sitting in the front row.
'Why's a delinquent sitting in the front row…?'
"Heh heh heh."
"…!"
Kim Taeyang let out a mocking chuckle.
'Is he sitting in the front on purpose?! To intimidate me?!'
The sinister laugh from a menacing, muscular guy staring at her was more terrifying than she could've imagined.
"W-We'll start with a brief course orientation… and then take questions…"
Song Gayoung explained the syllabus with extreme caution.
Even as time passed, her tension didn't ease, all because of Kim Taeyang.
'He's even scarier up close…!'
He leaned back in his chair with a slouched posture, legs stretched out.
His right hand, resting on the desk, twirled a pen nonstop,
While his left was shoved in his pocket.
The epitome of a delinquent…
It felt like he'd pull a sashimi knife from his bag and charge if he didn't like the lecture…!
Unable to bear it, Song Gayoung made a bold decision.
'I'll ask him to sit properly… That's not rude, right?'
It took immense courage for her.
No exaggeration—if a guy like Kim Taeyang hit her, her life could be in danger.
"Uh, excuse me… student…?"
"Huh?!!"
"…N-Never mind!!"
Kim Taeyang's two-syllable response shattered her resolve.
Song Gayoung had to endure his suffocating gaze head-on.
"That's all for now… Any questions…?"
She barely finished the orientation.
Glancing nervously, she pulled out the textbook.
To keep up with the curriculum, she had to teach even on the first day.
"Now, please open your textbooks…"
"Huh? We're doing class on the first day?"
"Eek!!!!"
Her worst fears came true.
Kim Taeyang was rebelling.
"Y-Yeah, maybe class on the first day is a bit much? Hehe… But to keep up with the curriculum… I really have no choice… Could you let me teach just this once… please…?"
For some reason, Song Gayoung found herself begging Kim Taeyang to let her teach.
The other students looked at her with pity.
They were scared of Kim Taeyang too, so how terrifying must he be for Song Gayoung, who wasn't even an Awakened?
His father was supposedly a nationwide gangster.
Rumors said Kim Taegun had killed enough people to fill a truck.
And this was his son.
From the outside…
He didn't seem much different from Kim Taegun.
"What's too much? I was just asking~"
"?"
Surprisingly, Kim Taeyang let it slide coolly.
Maybe he took pity on her.
"Thank you for allowing me… Everyone, please open your textbooks to the first page…"
'Thank you for letting me teach, student!'
The man who made her say such things.
That was Kim Taeyang.
Song Gayoung continued the lecture,
Instinctively keeping an eye on him.
'What's this…? Why's he taking notes so diligently?'
Kim Taeyang's hands never stopped.
Despite slouching and yawning lazily, he was constantly writing.
The first class of the day ended without incident.
As the bell rang, Song Gayoung hurriedly wrapped up.
"Good work, everyone!"
'Phew… It's over…'
Exhausted, she was about to flee the cursed lecture hall.
"Hey there—"
"What?! Oh! K-Kim Taeyang, student…!"
Kim Taeyang blocked her path.
Standing face-to-face, he was a muscle-bound monster.
The vulgar guy who stuck out his tongue.
Song Gayoung trembled like prey before a predator.
'I'll apologize no matter what…! Whatever he says, I'll just beg for forgiveness…!'
As she resolved herself, Kim Taeyang smirked slyly and said,
"Heh heh heh. The class was more fun than I expected~ I'm looking forward to the next one—"
"Huh…? What? Really? The class was fun…??? Is that true???"
Kim Taeyang.
Looking back on his behavior today, maybe he wasn't such a bad student.
Maybe he just didn't know how to express himself.
Perhaps he was a diligent student worthy of being second-ranked…
"It was so fun it got me all fired up!!! Professor, you'd win a gold medal at the Lecture Olympics, right~? Heh heh heh."
"T-Thank you…?"
Song Gayoung was swept up in a strange feeling.
She hurriedly shuffled away.
'Was that a compliment or an insult?!'
It didn't feel like an insult!
But it was too ambiguous to call a compliment!!
His magical way of speaking made her feel both joy and humiliation at once.